Laughter
by MovieBuffStarlet
Summary: A rewrite of how Carson's joke should have gone, rated T for a dirty joke that, for once, isn't mine.


_A/N: Sorry for the lame title. But I must say, one of my favorite school moments ever is when the whole class-the teacher and the students alike-laugh heartily together about something. It creates a sense of friendliness. I am writing this fic in appreciation of Carson's joke in Government class, because really….a joke that bloody awesome deserves some credit, am I right? I thought it was brilliant. Also, I love the adorable little quirk Carson has about laughing at his own jokes. Well, it's kind of sad if you think about it, because no one at that school is going to laugh with him no matter how clever he is. But I think it's just hilarious when people laugh at their own jokes, for some reason…whether they are lame or clever. It always makes me smile. (Probably because I always laugh at my own lame jokes, but whatever.) _

"Can anyone tell me which government was referred to at Camelot?"

The silence that greeted the young teacher was deafening. Carson sat amongst the sea of morons, silently wishing for this lesson to end already. He figured it was redundant to answer the teacher's question. Everyone knew he had all the answers, anyway. Where was Frodo-in-female-form (Remy) when you needed her? Surely she would relish in the act of sucking up to a teacher.

"Clinton?" Said a stupid voice behind him. Justin Walker, the dopey jock, gave it his best shot. Carson's ears perked up at this, a devious little plan formed in his mind.

_Oh, this is just too good to pass up…._

"No, that was _'Came-A-Lot'_." Carson 'corrected' his classmate with a self satisfied little smirk and a dorky chuckle. Unfortunately, none of his peers got the joke…his teacher _did_, however…and that was not a good thing, judging by his stone faced glare. Carson could hear the metaphoric cricket chirps…

Suddenly, the entire class jumped at an obnoxious burst of laughter coming from the back of the classroom. Carson whipped around in his seat to see Malerie hunched over her desk, practically shaking the entire frame with her loud laughter. He couldn't help but grin at how she always had his back. Also, it was a damned good joke, and it was nice to see it get some appreciation.

"Malerie," The teacher reprimanded firmly.

The girl ignored him, leaning her head onto her desk as she continued to laugh her ass off. Carson bit his lip to keep from joining in.

_Jeez. It wasn't __that__ funny. Well, okay, it __was__. But anyway…._

Carson couldn't help but chuckle along with her. Laughter was contagious.

"Mr. Phillips!" The teacher warned. Carson turned to face him, and started laughing harder at his grim expression. He was not amused in the slightest, and this just set Carson off even more. He clamped a hand over his mouth to try to muffle the laughter, but his shoulders shook and his eyes watered. He could feel his face heating up. His head felt like it was about to explode.

"Yes, Mr. *hic*…?" Carson's eyes widened in mortification as he hiccupped while trying to state the teacher's name. This made him laugh even harder, doubling over his desk in hysterics. He couldn't stop…it was like getting the giggles in church or something. Small titters and giggles began to ripple around the room now. When Malerie snort-laughed much louder than Carson thought possible for a human being, everyone began laughing in earnest then….everyone except for the teacher, that is.

_Oh, God…I hope Malerie catches this on film! _

"All right, that's enough!" The Humorless Wonder scolded, wanting to rein in his class as quickly as possible before everyone just lost it. "You two," He addressed Carson and Malerie sternly "See me after class. You both have detention today."

Carson slumped and Malerie sobered up at his comment. Carson actually welcomed the change…his face literally hurt from smiling and his stomach muscles were aching. He suspected that he had just given himself amazing abs after this. He glanced back apologetically at Malerie, who just shrugged good naturedly as she fixed her crooked glasses.

Carson _almost_ began laughing again at the thought of sending detention into a laugh riot at well, but he held it in. After class was over, he met up with Malerie at her desk.

"Hey, I'm sorry I kind of caused you to get detention today…" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"If getting detention is this much fun, then I need to get in trouble more often." Malerie grinned at him without a care in the world. She picked up her camera and focused in on Mr. Bitchy at the front desk. "Let's go."

They shuffled their way up to the front of the now empty classroom in order to get their detention slips. Carson likened it to walking up to the guillotine. Suddenly, Malerie grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Oh, my God! Carson!" She hissed in a hushed yet excited tone.

"What?" He whispered back at her.

"I think I _just_ got your joke now. Congrats. It was pretty funny!" She held up a hand for him to high five.

Carson stared at her in disbelief before obliging. He smirked to himself as they made their way to the teacher. Malerie always made things more interesting.

THE END


End file.
